With impressive PGA victory, Phil Mickelson eyes Grand Slam in homecoming

THE atmosphere is perfect. The surroundings are familiar. His motivation is several notches better. Phil Mickelson is in a state of surreal mix of fact and fantasy.

And the time is ripe for yet another homecoming to San Diego for the 121st edition of the United States Open Championship, a Major that has been elusive to him.

The Rolex Testimonee who became last month's PGA Championship winner by two shots, is primed to hit it big, again, after eclipsing Julius Boros' previous record of 48 years, four months and 18 days to win the PGA Championship in 1968.

On the eve of the U.S. Open, teeing off at Torrey Pines on June 17, he will turn 51.

And the affable six-footer, with broad shoulders that droop every time he stands on the tee-box and a dogged determination to carry on from where he had left off at Kiawah Island, will be staring at more records to be etched in golf folklore.

The oldest Major winner aside, the U.S. Open provides him the opportunity to bag the Grand Slam, having won the three other Majors U.S. Masters (2004, 2006, 2010), British Open (2013) and the PGA Championship (2005, 2021). He was denied the U.S. Open having being runner-up six times in 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2013.

In hindsight, it is good that Mickelson accepted a special invitation to play in the U.S. Open, having been a former world No. 2 and an accomplished professional.

And, in fact, he is now going home to his birthplace in California where he won the 1993 Buick Invitational success - his first win as a pro.

He has won at Torrey Pines thrice, in the Farmers Insurance Open, though, on a layout he once described as "one of the hardest courses to play - it's 7,600 yards, the fairways are tight and there's a lot of rough".

Undoubtedly, he is sure to receive another grand reception from the thousands of ecstatic fans, now that the event is open to spectators.

The Rolex Testimonee swept aside both a powerful (25 Major winners were featured) and a promising (some of the precocious talent were not even born when Mickelson won his first PGA Tour title as an amateur in 1991) young bunch to claim the Wanamaker Trophy.

At the age of 50 years, Mickelson stirred up moving scenes of wild celebrations by fans at the Ocean course at the picturesque Kiawah Island in South Carolina by claiming the PGA crown.

Accuracy and resilience

Holding a one-shot lead heading into the final round, Mickelson continued his impressive accuracy and resilience - attributes that resonate strongly with Rolex's own pursuit of perpetual excellence in its watchmaking and all the other endeavours - to capture the victory.

In winning the historic Championship, which featured 99 of the world's top 100 players, the American secured his sixth Major title and 45th PGA Tour victory of his illustrious professional career.

He follows in the footsteps of fellow Rolex Testimonees Gary Player (1962, 1972), Jack Nicklaus (1963, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1980), Tiger Woods (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007) and Brooks Koepka (2018, 2019), legends and champions of the sport who have all triumphed at this esteemed tournament on multiple occasions.

A big reason for Mickelson's recent triumph was his strong belief in himself, his abilities and faith in his backers such as Australian coach Andrew Getson (since 2014), brother-caddie Tim (since 2017) and manager Steve Loy (for 25 years now) that lifted the amiable Golf's Hall of Famer to new heights.

"He never doubted himself," said Tim, adding to golf websites that "his will and desire to win now is as high as it's ever been, in my opinion. Certainly it's probably higher than when I started caddying for him. He loves golf. I mean, when he's at home, he's still playing almost every single day, sometimes 36 holes. He's grinding. It never stops for him".

"I just said, 'Well, let's just make sure we're in contention on Sunday.' I was trying to downplay the situation but he said he was going to win again soon, and sure enough, obviously it worked."

This was a confidence that manifested itself when he drove 366 yards on the par-five 16th on the final day, outdriving long-hitter Koepka by about 20 yards to record the longest distance on the hole all week of the Major.

The six-time Major winner's longtime manager, Steve Loy added: "I don't want to say this is the final finale, it ain't. He thinks he's 25 years old again. I think he's going to win five more times, maybe 10. You can't tell him 'no'. Every time I try to tell him, 'Look, we are running out of time,' he's going, 'I don't want to hear it'.''

Mickelson brushed aside the challenges of much-younger rivals, Koepka (31 years) and Louis Oosthuizen (38) by two shots and a host of late challengers such as Shane Lowry and Padraig Harrington who returned sub-par rounds unlike the top three finishers.

On his victory, he said: "This is an incredible feeling because I just believed it was possible, but yet everything was saying it wasn't and I hope that others find that inspiration. It might take a little bit of extra work, a little bit harder effort to maintain physically or maintain the skills, but gosh, is it worth it in the end."

Looking ahead, Mickelson said: "I do believe that if I stay sharp mentally I can play well at Torrey Pines. I'll take two weeks off before that and go out to Torrey and spend time on the greens and really try to be sharp for that week because I know that I'm playing well.

Putting everything into it

"This could very well be my last really good opportunity, although I get five more, but really good opportunities to win a U.S. Open. So I'm going to put everything I have into it."

He has to for the U.S. Open field reads like a "Who's Who" of golf despite being without the injured Tiger Woods. Obviously, long-hitting Bryson DeChambeau, the defending champion and fellow Rolex Testimonee, is a serious contender although he trails Dustin Johnson (10-1), and Rory McIlroy (12-1) on the bookmakers' current odds.

Others standing in his way are Rolex Testimonees Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth (who finished runner-up to Jason Kokrak at the Charles Schwab event), Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Thomas, and Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Justin Rose.

When Nicklaus won the 1986 U.S. Masters glory, aged 46, it was a remarkable feat. With Mickelson's majestic PGA triumph, that feat too has been surpassed. The sporting Nicklaus led the congratulations message for Mickelson, which was followed by a compliment, tweeted by Woods.

And, rightly, Morikawa, the 2020 PGA champion, joined in, saying: "You can just see in his eyes that he wants to win."

"Given events in South Carolina, it would be folly to discount something equally stunning happening again. Mickelson's is no ordinary life story."